Appearances can be Deceiving
by J. D. Roxburgh
Summary: Some things aren't always what they seem. An interlude story while I figure out what to do with Taste. This has a different feel to my other Rizzles stories. NOW COMPLETE** Disclaimer-I own nothing! Please don't read if you don't like complications & hurt.
1. Chapter 1

**_This is a short interlude story while I figure out whether Taste should continue, if u haven't already check out Taste & Date Night my other Rizzles fanfictions._**

**_*this is a different feel to my other stories*_**

Appearances can be Deceiving.

Detective Jane Rizzoli was sat in her unmarked nervously watching the house. _Why the hell am I nervous? I've done this a thousand times, what is wrong with me?_ She checked the time. _Too soon. _ She checked her phone to find no new messages. She shook her head. _This is dumb Rizzoli! Get your act together!_ But her gut was still churning. She placed her hand on the door release and tapped nervously. _Fuck it!_ She went to pull to release the door when she narrowed her eyes into the darkness. There was a figure lurking in the shadows. Her hand went straight to her gun like second nature, she didn't even realise she was holding it, it was a part of her.

The figure was looming at the front of the house, keeping to the shadows and approaching windows before backing off again. It paced back and forth agitated and then abruptly approached the doorway, the overhead light casting strange shadows.

Jane opened her door as quietly as she could and crouched down by her car, she went to scurry across the road when the front door opened. Jane gasped, stood and took aim. She stood watching in horror as the dark figure rushed the person in the doorway. She ran over and stopped in the middle of the road. Her eyes widened and she froze. _No..._


	2. Chapter 2

Doctor Maura Isles was sat comfortably on her sofa, legs curled up to one side, glass of red wine in hand and a fascinating documentary on parasitic infections on the tv. She sighed happily as she settled down and looked over at Bass who was currently analysing his choice of leaves for dinner. She checked her phone and smiled at the blank screen._ Peace... _

She was a good way into the documentary, transfixed by a certain fascinating fact when a loud knock made her drop her almost empty glass on the floor. The glass smashed and she let out a small shriek, she frowned at the front door. _Who would be knocking? Angela doesn't knock, nor Jane...Tommy? But it's late why would he be here?_ Panic started to bubble up her throat as she began to imagine all kinds of horrific scenarios. _What if Jane has been hurt?_

She raced to the front door and flung it open on the verge of tears. A figure stepped out of the darkness and charged at her, she let out a scream and her hot tears streamed down her face.


	3. Chapter 3

He rushed in and seized the medical examiner, he surrounded her with his arms and hauled her off her feet. She felt herself falling back and lassoed her arms around his neck.

Jane could only see Maura's hands as she raced across the road but she stopped as the intertwined figures span under the light. She gasped. _No... _

Maura felt the tears rolling down her face as she clung on for dear life. She felt his stubble brush against her neck and she shuddered. He pulled back and looked at her expectantly.

Jane felt her stomach sink and bile begin to rise up her throat, her hands clasped around her gun shook but she didn't lower it. There was a fine line between shaking with nerves and fury.

"Ian."

The two women uttered the name at the same time, Jane out into the cold empty night air and Maura into that tanned face that left her stunned.

Jane stared at the scene and felt tears forming in her eyes. She replaced her gun as she span round and stalked toward her car. She blinked away the angry tears and tried to calm her erratic breathing. She flung open the car door and jumped in. She left so suddenly her tires squealed against the road and she tore away.

Maura couldn't do anything but blink at the man holding her up. He kicked her front door shut loudly and she leaned into his hold as she swayed unsteadily.


	4. Chapter 4

Jane slammed into her apartment, threw her gun and badge on her couch and paced around for a bit, mind racing. _What the hell is he doing back? I should go over there and arrest his Australian ass! Why didn't she turn him away? Is he here to stay or just use her again? She deserves better! I'm gonna go kick his convict butt!_ She grabbed her gun again and opened her front door. She paused. _She didn't kick him out though...and she was so cut up when he left._ She kicked the door to again and sank to the floor. She ground her teeth, determined not to cry. _How can you love someone and not be able to be with them?_ Those words swirled around her head until she wasn't sure if it was Maura or her who had said them.

Maura stared at Ian like he was an apparition. He put her down and held her face in his rough hands and placed a kiss on her lips. He grabbed his tiny sack of belongings and threw it on the sofa before collapsing there himself. He was talking about something but all the words blended into an unrecognisable blur. Maura stood staring at the doorway, her brain trying to catch up with what had just happened. She touched her lips gently. _Ian?_


	5. Chapter 5

Jane was a few beers in when her phone started going off. Calls. Texts. All from Maura. She didn't answer, she couldn't bear to read the words from the medical examiner. She needed to numb herself enough so that she could sleep or at least stop that image circling around her head. She heard the Funeral March ring out again she cried out in anger and threw the phone across her apartment.

"I don't wanna talk to you Maura! I don't wanna think about you! Just...just leave me alone!"

She screamed the last sentiment to try and convince herself that she really wanted that. She downed the last of her beer, grabbed her keys and slammed out of the apartment. _I need to go hit things that aren't expensive._  
Back in her apartment her phone lay on the floor, lit up with words that would have destroyed the detective if she had seen them;

Maur  
0:03

There was silence on the other end of the phone as the medical examiner fought against the tears that were trying to escape. _"I don't wanna talk to you Maura! I don't wanna think about you! Just...just leave me alone!"_ The angry words cut deep into her heart and physically hurt her. She hung up and put down her phone. _What did I do Jane?_ The ME shook her head, she had called to see if Jane was still coming round for their weekly movie night...she couldn't understand what she had done. She jumped as two strong arms wrapped themselves around her waist. "Ian."


	6. Chapter 6

With every punch or kick to the bag in front of her Jane tried to expel all the feelings welling up inside of her. Her vision was blurring through layers of tears. She grit her teeth and pounded the bag trying to clear her sight. She felt the skin split on her knuckles and she paused. She unwrapped her hands and stared at the blood. She couldn't feel the pain other than the hurt clutching her heart. She looked back up at the bag and the Australian tanned smug face flashed before her eyes. Red mist descended and she let out a furious flurry of punches and kicks until she collapsed on the floor in heavy sobs that racked her entire body until she was hoarse.

Maura was sat on the edge of her bed staring into space, mind ticking over. She could hear the water running from the shower and that familiar voice humming through the hiss. She felt empty. She felt sick. She had no idea why Jane had said that. She wanted to go and confront her but she knew better than to challenge the detective when she was angry. She desperately wanted to hear the brunette at her front door, she didn't care if she was screaming and cursing at her, she just wanted her there to clear the air, to apologise if she had done something. Her thoughts were interrupted by the tanned naked body that had appeared in front of her.


	7. Chapter 7

The next day at work Maura was cowered over a body in the morgue, it was a routine autopsy; suicide. No foul play for Jane to investigate. At the thought of the detective she felt her stomach drop, she hadn't seen her so far today. She wondered if she would. At that precise moment those familiar footsteps rounded the corner into the morgue. The ME greeted her with a beaming smile, a smile that was not returned.

Jane was rubbing at her hands, they ached severely, not just the cuts and bruises but her scars too. She didn't want to be in here, all her emotions were far too close to the surface and she didn't want to do something she'd regret.  
Maura noticed the movement of the brunette's hands whilst she ruled that it was in fact suicide. As Jane nodded and turned to go Maura reached out and grasped one of the detective's hands.

Jane froze. It was an unwritten rule that you didn't grab her hands like that...for anyone but Maura. She felt the ME's gentle fingers ghosting over her wounds and she looked up into concerned hazel eyes.

"Is this why you didn't come over last night? You were in trouble? Why didn't you tell me, I would have looked after you! When I heard you-"

Jane cut her off abruptly as she snatched her hand back and bolted out of the morgue, her tears were threatening to spill and she just couldn't.

Maura ran after her but felt someone pull her back, she turned in shock.

"Surprise! Brought you lunch!"

Maura frantically looked between the lift and Ian.

* * *

**_i'd like to take a moment to respond to several bits of feedback, this was easier than pm'ing everyone! I have warned u tht this is different to my other rizzles stories, I'm trying something new. I hate ian just as much as u, trust me! I get that people rnt happy with Maura's character, I'm sorry u feel that way but the reason it doesn't seem to fit is we're not seeing the full picture in each chapter, this is why I've made them short sharp snapshots that feel kind of disjointed because its how they feel, it's the first time in their friendship that they have both been hurting and not understood why, with the whole Doyle thing they both understood but were angry. i am not gonna reveal what happens or how it maps out, all I ask is if u r interested to stick with me and trust me, u don't have to like it all the time, I don't but its something I wanted to try, if I've lost u totally then I'm sorry tht sucks but I have other happy rizzles going on. Hope this answers some stuff x_**


	8. Chapter 8

_**If you don't like the direction of this story so far then don't keep reading, I'm sorry to those who don't like it thus far but I did warn you it was different. But please don't leave me messages & reviews telling me you hate me and the story-**_**_its hardly constructive- _**_**just don't continue reading it!**_

* * *

Jane managed to keep her emotions in check when she arrived upstairs and felt a guilty pang when she thought of how she left Maura. She took a deep breath and clenched her fists. She reached into her desk drawer, pulled out the sandwiches her Ma had left her and headed back downstairs. She exited the lift, checked the morgue finding it empty and so turned to enter the medical examiner's office. She felt her anger begin to bubble up inside of her when she saw Maura seated at her desk staring intently at the computer screen with Ian stood behind her, leaning down close to peer at the screen. The detective thought about barging in and confronting them both but decided against it. Causing a scene at work would create more damage than it was worth, besides she was just a friend. Maura could do and see whoever she wanted. She turned and left.

Maura thought she heard the lift so when no one entered her office she frowned, pushed away from her desk moving Ian out her way and opened the door. Peering down the corridor both ways she couldn't see a soul. She frowned, sure she had heard something. She turned to go back into her office when she looked down into the small bin sitting outside the door. She saw the remains of a sandwich that looked a lot like peanut butter and fluff. _Jane..._ She ran up to the bull pen and looked frantically for the detective but could not find her. She asked around and no one knew where she had gone.


	9. Chapter 9

Her jacket and shirt lay crumpled on a bench to the side with her gun and badge, she didn't care. She stood in her work trousers and vest top, sweating and breathing raggedly. She was beating the bag senselessly trying to erase the images out of her mind.

There were other people in the gym but they edged away from her nervously, Rizzoli was furious.

Maura tottered into the gym, drawing people's attention left, right and centre. Her eyes flitted around the room until she spotted her. Sweaty, red and hissing with exertion. Jane had her hair tied up and was just wearing her vest top. Her muscles in her arms were rippling and you could see the strength there.

Jane didn't notice the medical examiner in her peripheral she was too intent on letting her fury loose. She started a flurry of vicious hits, hissing and grunting as her body started to feel the energy transferring from her into the bag. She jumped and cursed as a gentle hand was laid on her shoulder.

Maura stood her ground even though Jane almost swung for her as she turned from the bag. The brunette stared at her like she was an apparition. The ME didn't know what to say. Her automatic thought was to ask if Jane was ok...it was clear she was not so she couldn't ask that. Jane was still staring and Maura was lost for words "You're angry..." It was pathetic but she didn't know what else to say.

The sound of Maura's voice was like an electric shock. She jerked away from the ME's touch as feeling flooded her body. She didn't mean to lace her words with venom but the adrenaline coursing through her veins had disabled her internal filter. "Who me? Nah! I'm little miss fucking happy!"

Maura flinched at the harsh curse but silenced her usual admonishment. She couldn't help the flow of what Jane affectionately called her Googlemouth "Your facial muscles are clenched and tightened, your supercilia are angled and furrowed. Not to mention your body language, your neck and shoulders are tense and high." She returned her hand to the detective's shoulder tentatively.

Jane could feel her touch burning into her skin and she snarled "Yeah? Well appearances can be deceiving." She hated herself and her anger as Maura took her hand back and tried her best not to show how upset she was.

Maura grit her teeth, determined not to break down, she had come to get to the bottom of this and repair it not to make it worse. She produced a bag. "I brought you lunch."

Jane avoided her gaze "Not hungry." Her stomach growled loudly._ Traitor_. Maura was giving her that know it all look. She took the bag begrudgingly "Hadn't you better go feed Ian?"

The poison in the brunette's voice when she mentioned his name wasn't surprising but she had never heard Jane speak with quite that intense fury before. Maura avoided her furious glare and swallowed nervously "He showed up last night...I thought it was you..."

Jane turned to grab her belongings, trying not to let her pain show too much "Nice surprise."

Maura was stunned at the comment and frowned at Jane, she opened her mouth to ask what she meant.

Jane held up the bag "Thanks for lunch."

"Jane..." The ME felt tears forming as she watched the detective stalk out.


	10. Chapter 10

Maura clenched her fist, closed her eyes and began her usual mini meditation technique to quell her mixed emotions. Her eyes flew open, a darker shade of green than normal and she slammed her fist into the bag. Every nerve ending screamed at her and she used that adrenaline to make her decision and she flew out after Jane.

The detective walked into the elevator, turned and leant her forehead against the cool metal and tried to seep that coolness to douse the fire she felt inside. She heard the doors closing then being interrupted, she sighed not wanting to face anyone.

"You can't avoid me forever."

_No Maura...not you...don't do this...don't push me._

Jane didn't move and Maura felt her emotions begin to bubble. "I deserve an explanation."

Jane gritted her teeth and clenched her eyes shut praying she could just vanish.  
Maura slammed her hand on the emergency stop button "We are not going anywhere until you talk to me Jane. You can't run from me."

Jane spun with such fury it even shocked her, she tried to reach the lift controls when Maura stepped in her way. Jane was shaking with anger and pain she had no outlet for. She slammed her fist into the metal wall and screamed in frustration.

Maura was shaking from emotion and fear, she knew Jane would never hurt her but it did hurt. It hurt to see Jane hurting so much and not being able to be the one to soothe it like she always had done before. To not understand what was running through her best friend's mind. "What happened to you last night Jane?"

Jane was frantically shaking her head. _I can't. If I tell her then she'll know. If I tell her it's because I saw Ian she'll know I was there early. She can't know why. I have to get over this._

Maura felt tears falling down her face "Jane why are you running from me? It's me!" She reached out.

Jane felt like a caged animal, pent up and trapped. She couldn't get far enough away from Maura to avoid her touch. It burned her skin and it did nothing but fuel her anger. She pushed past her and hit the lift button again and they started moving.

Maura looked at her feeling so dejected, disappointed, scared and angry "You don't get to pick and choose when I am your friend Jane. You can't just run away from me and then expect to come back into my life. It hurts."

Jane spun and scowled at her "No?" Maura shook her head. "Funny that, guess it's a chick thing then! You don't seem to mind Ian picking you up and dropping you like a sack of shit when it pleases him!"

Maura watched the change come over Jane as she spat out her accusation "Jane I-"

"No! You wanted to talk?! I'll talk! It's pathetic! You let him use you, break your heart and then let him back in for more! Once wasn't enough for you?" She laughed cruelly "You think you might have learned about trusting men, if not with Ian then at least with Dennis!" As soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them, she felt herself physically pale. Her anger, fury, intensity slipped off her like water and she felt like she was going to pass out.

Maura looked at her emptily, she felt as if Jane had just reached into her chest and ripped everything out. The doors pinged open and Maura just silently walked out.


	11. Chapter 11

Jane felt sick. She was paralysed until she realised that Maura had gone, she raced out and saw her walking toward the exit of the precinct. "Maura!"

Maura turned to look at Jane, she didn't feel anything, it didn't hurt anymore, she felt calm.

Jane gasped as she saw the ME, it wasn't Maura. It wasn't her best friend, something was missing. And she knew it was down to her.

"I don't want Ian. He doesn't have me. He is nothing to me. I didn't want him to come back."

Her words were emotionless but still sparked a reaction in the detective "You could have fooled me with the way you threw yourself at him!"

"What?"

Jane stubbed her toes into the ground and looked anywhere but into those hazel eyes "I was there. I saw. I saw you with him."

Maura laughed an empty laugh "Well you saw wrong. I wasn't happy to see him. I told you, I thought it was you, arriving early."

Jane snorted "That's why you threw your arms around his neck then?"

"Appearences can be deceiving" She echoed Jane's own words. Maura felt her emotions building up again as she realised what Jane thought of her "He grabbed me and swept me off my feet, if I didn't hold on I would have fallen and injured myself."

"Well aren't you the lucky one?! Getting swept off your feet by a big strong man?!" Jane hadn't meant to raise her voice but she was struggling to keep herself in check.

Maura noticed the eyes of people around focus on the two women "I didn't say that." She muttered.

Jane shook her head "Course not." She turned to walk away.

Maura felt something snap "I don't want him!" She yelled at the detective.

Jane span on her heels "Sure! Who doesn't want someone strong brave and kind? Who doesn't want the love of their life?!"

"You're right." Jane looked like she had been slapped by those quiet words. "I do want that. Exactly like that. I want you Jane Rizzoli."

Everybody in the room turned and stared at Maura's declaration. Jane frowned at her "What?"

"I want you. I didn't even know it until he came back. He tried Jane. He tried to get me back. He tried to sleep with me. I told him he had to leave when you arrived...you didn't show. He stayed on the couch. I didn't even want him in my spare bed. When you ignored my texts and calls I thought you were hurt then you told me you didn't want to see, speak or think about me and it broke my heart. You came to me at lunch and left because of him. Him. I was booking him a one way flight out of here. I told him I never wanted to see him again. He's gone. He was never here." She held a hand over her heart. "I was too close to you to see it. It took you running to make me see. It's always been you."

Jane stood stunned at the medical examiner's hurried confession. She blinked at her a couple of times. Her body and mind couldn't compute what had just happened. She turned and walked out of the door.


	12. Chapter 12

Maura got in through her front door and sank to the floor, emotion catching up with her for the first time since she revealed her feelings to Jane...to herself if she was honest. Tears flooded out of her and racked her body painfully. _I was wrong. I thought she was jealous. She doesn't love me_. Her ears pricked up as she heard something outside the door. She picked herself up and peered through the peephole. She frowned.

Jane was stood in the torrential downpour in her vest. She couldn't feel anything she was numb with cold. It felt wonderful compared to the tornado of emotion she went through when she left Maura. Maura tried to tug her inside but she just shook her head and remained on the door step.

"You're wet."

"I'm fine."

"No you're not."

"I'm fine."

"Jane."

"I'm fine."

"Ok." Maura stepped out into the rain in front of the brunette.

"Why did you say it?"

"What?"

"Why did you say it?"

"Because it's true."

Jane stayed silent and stared at Maura's chest and neck.

"If you're waiting for me to come out into hives, you will be waiting forever."

"Why?"

"Why what?"

Jane went quiet again.

"When I realised, I wanted to tell you. I couldn't."

"Why?"

"Because you'd run. Just like you did."

"How did you know I'd run?"

"Because you're vulnerable."

Jane avoided her eyes.

"I know you. I know you share my bed because you get scared at night. I know your scars itch when you get scared. I know you see him everywhere still. I know you're just as scared of your own feelings as you are him."

"Don't."

"I know that because I'm the same. I'm terrified."

"You don't look scared."

Maura stepped into Jane's space and gazed deeply into her eyes "Appearances can be deceiving." She pressed her lips against Jane's as the rain washed away the tears rolling down each of their cheeks.

_**The End.**_


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